Re: how does HDF5 really store time? As float, int, string?

• To: netcdf-hdf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: Re: how does HDF5 really store time? As float, int, string?
• From: Quincey Koziol <koziol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2004 23:10:18 -0500 (CDT)

Hi Ed,

> HDF5 folk:
> 
> How do you really store the time type?
> 
> As a floating point number, number of seconds since Jan 1, 1970, or
> something like that?
    We do normally store it as the number of seconds since the UNIX epoch
(Jan 1, 1970).  However, we there's a few different time datatypes defined
and we don't convert between them.  Frankly, I think including them is a
mistake currently, since they are bringing "units & quantities" into a part
of the library that doesn't really understand how to do unit conversions, etc.
I would also lean toward not including them in the netCDF4 types, at least
initially.

    Quincey